Review: ‘Justice League’ is A Stunner

In “Justice League,” Zack Snyder brings together all of our favorite DC Superheroes for a visually stunning and action packed follow-up to Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman.” Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, and Henry Cavill reprise their roles as Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman respectively. Joining them are Ezra Miller as the Flash, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.

Our superheroes band together to stop Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) and his army of Para demons from destroying the world through an alien invasion. This conflict is not something new to superhero films and in “Justice League,” this forms the base of the plot.

The film starts off with separate introductions of the various characters: Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg. The casting is on point and Ben Affleck as Batman along with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman are impressive while Ezra Miller as the Flash adds the much-needed comic relief. Gal Gadot is elegant, beautiful, stylish, and has a very important role to play. She has pulled off a a great performance with her screen presence. Both Batman and Wonder Woman set out to find the right team to battle Steppenwolf and his forces and to keep the mother boxes away from him before he latches onto the power that could destroy the world. This counter-mission by our superheroes becomes even harder in the absence of Superman. This all boils down to a face-off between the two sides which takes up the rest of the plot.

From left to right: Ezra Miller as The Flash, Ben Affleck as Batman, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman

Director Zack Snyder has tried hard to fit in the much-needed action sequences, quirky moments, and comedic dialogues in addition to an engaging core plot. However, in trying to do all of these in a convincing manner, the screenplay by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon gets diluted as the film takes its course.

Scenes between Batman and The Flash are funny and an underwater action scene between Aquaman and Steppenwolf deserves a mention. Superman’s re-entry assures a high point in the film and so does his chemistry with The Flash. But the number of high points in “Justice League” are only as numerous as the fingers on your hand and if there were more of these moments, it would have been more effective at keeping audiences on the edge of their seats.

The technicalities that include cinematography by Fabian Wagner, editing by David Brenner, Richard Pearson, and Martin Walsh produce impressive visuals and special effects. Since the action scenes are over the top in movies like these, a lot of homework has to be done in order to choreograph them in a convincing way. Kudos to the team for pulling this off. Music by Danny Elfman is not jarring and helps elevate certain scenes. However, the problem lies in the overall product. Despite comedic moments, action-packed scenes, and superman’s eventual return, the overall conflict is definitely something which could have been stronger and the screenplay tighter. Nevertheless, “Justice League” will be loved by fans of DC Comics and general film audiences alike.